MAMMALIA. 417 



is short and slender. The pouch opens backwards. C castanolls, from 

 South AustraHa, is the only species known. 



Group 2. Carnivora. 



Fam. 1. Dasyurid.«, includes Marsupialia, whose habits are either carni- 

 vorous or insectivorous. The second and third toes of the hind foot disunited 

 and well developed ; the thumb, or first toe, is small or absent. The tail is 

 hairy, and not prehensile. There are eight incisors in the upper jaw, and 

 six in the lower ; the canine teeth are well developed ; the molar teeth 

 either with trenchant crowns, or with the masticating surface presenting 

 numerous prickly points. Several fossil species of this family have been 

 found in Australia, to which continent the recent species are also confined, 

 with one exception only, the Phascogah melas, which is a native of New 

 Guinea. 



The genus Myrmecohius contains but one species from western and 

 southern Australia {M. fasciatus), remarkable for the number of its teeth, 

 four incisors in the upper jaw and three below, two canines above and two 

 below, and eight molars above and nine below, fifty-two in number, the 

 molar teeth provided with prickly points. The head is somewhat depressed 

 above ; the muzzle elongated ; the snout naked ; the nostrils lateral ; the 

 ears of moderate size, and pointed ; tongue very long and slender. The 

 legs are rather short and strong ; five toes to the fore and four toes to 

 the hind feet. The tail is long and bushy. The female is destitute of 

 pouch, and has apparently eight mammee, arranged in a circle. 



The genus Phascogah embraces quite a number of species, having four 

 incisors above and four below, canines as usual, three pre-molars and four 

 molars on each side, making in all fifty teeth. The feet are provided with 

 five toes ; the inner toe of the hind feet is in the form of a small, nailless, 

 prehensile thumb. The tail is either clothed with short hair throughout, or 

 with short hairs only on the basal portion, the apical having long and bushy 

 hair. The female is sometimes destitute of the pouch ; the mamma? are 

 eight, arranged in a circle. h\ the first section, that of Phascogah proper, 

 of which P. penicillata is the type, the terminal half of the tail is clothed 

 with very long and bushy hair. In the second section, the Antechinus, the 

 tail is clothed throughout with vei-y short hairs. The P. flavipes and 

 hucogaster are examples of this section. 



The genus Dasyurus is characterized by having the incisor teeth equal, 

 eight above and six below. There are two pre-molars and four molars on 

 each side, which, with the usual number of canines, makes forty-two teeth. 

 The tail is long, and well clothed with long or moderately long hairs. 

 Some species have no inner toe to the hind feet. The Dasyuri inhabit the 

 continent of Australia and Van Diemen's Land. They are all of moderate 

 size, and nearly all have the fur spotted. D. hallucatus, from North 

 Australia, is the smallest species ; the D. maculalus has the tail spotted, as 

 well as the body, and is confined to Van Diemen's Land. 



621 



